News about Faculty & Staff

Restaurant Again Favored Among Area Newspaper’s Readers

Michael R. Triassi, Le Jeune Chef’s director of sales and restaurant operations, receives a silver Reader’s Choice Award from Becky Fitzwater, an advertising representative for the Milton Standard-Journal.

For the second year, Le Jeune Chef Restaurant received silver honors in the Milton Standard-Journal’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards. The Standard-Journal ran its Reader’s Choice contest form in its daily newspapers and provided ballots to local businesses for submission by their patrons. Voters could also fill out ballots online and write in additional categories. Becky Fitzwater, an advertising representative for the newspaper, recently delivered a certificate to the restaurant on Friday, signifying that it was the second-highest vote-getter in the Best Restaurant category. Le Jeune Chef presents a fine-dining experience hosted by Penn College’s School of Business & Hospitality. The restaurant offers a gourmet menu, much of it prepared by students, and features the area’s most extensive wine list. The full list of award winners will be announced in the newspaper in July. To make a reservation, call 570-320-CHEF (570-320-2433). To view menus and special events, visit the restaurant’s website.
Photo by Anna C. Miller, marketing and communications specialist for the School of Business & Hospitality

Penn College Welcomes New Employees

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

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Penn College Becomes Full Member of NCAA Division III

A new era in athletics

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Wildcat Athletics teams will compete as full members of NCAA Division III when students return this fall.

The NCAA Division III Management Council notified Penn College on Thursday that it has successfully completed the provisional membership process. As a full NCAA Division III member, the college will be eligible to compete for national championships and will have voting rights on NCAA legislation.

“This is wonderful news for Wildcat Athletics and for Penn College,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said. “Full Division III membership will help us attract more student-athletes. These students enter our gates with a heightened sense of grit and drive, and we know that Penn College student-athletes find the competition, discipline and teamwork required of a collegiate athlete integral to their record of success as leaders in their chosen professions.

“The college’s work toward full NCAA membership has already injected a welcome boost to campus spirit, which was on full display when we recently introduced our new Wildcat Athletic logo to a capacity crowd of students, faculty and staff. I want to commend everyone at the institution who played a role in moving this process forward.”

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Penn College Welcomes New Employee

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

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Penn College Names Vice President for Workforce Development

Shannon M. Munro

A woman with more than 20 years’ experience in workforce-development leadership has been appointed vice president for workforce development at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Shannon M. Munro, who had served as executive director for workforce development and continuing education at the college since 2012, succeeds Tracy L. Brundage, who is leaving to become provost and vice president for academic affairs at Keystone College.

Munro’s appointment was approved Thursday by the Penn College Board of Directors. As vice president, she will oversee all workforce-training and consulting offerings and operations at the college. She will also serve on President’s Council.

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Working Hand-in-Hand to Make Mementos

With materials arrayed before him and classmates waiting their turn behind him, Ghazi sets the pace for hands-on learning.

With determination and drive – and, of course, safety glasses – woodworker Sidney gets the job done.

Bella helps craft a keepsake.

Marc the Mentor gets a guiding hand from Harrison.

The dean and his morning construction team show off their assembly-line output.

Six youngsters from the Dunham Children’s Learning Center traveled down the hall and rounded the corner into a School of Construction & Design Technologies carpentry lab on Thursday morning, confidently wrapping their smaller hands around a “big people” power tool. Marc E. Bridgens, dean of the school, built an instant rapport with his summertime guests – then helped them assemble Penn College-branded toolboxes as souvenirs of their visit.

Students Gain ‘Tons’ of Hospitality Experience at Iconic Event

Penn College culinary arts and systems students R. Colby Janowitz, of Westminster, Md.; Amaris T. Smith, of Williamsport; and Cy C. Heller, of Milton, work an à la carte lunch in the Turf Room on Oaks Day at Churchill Downs.

Pennsylvania College of Technology students returned from the 2017 Kentucky Derby with a wealth of experience in high-volume hospitality, courtesy of Churchill Downs food operator Levy Restaurants.

“Working at the Kentucky Derby was an insane, amazing, life-changing experience,” said R. Colby Janowitz, who received both a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and systems and an associate degree in hospitality management from Penn College in May. It was the second trip to the Kentucky Derby for the Westminster, Maryland, native.

Janowitz joined 24 other Penn College students – and faculty member Charles R. Niedermyer, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts – in the kitchens of Churchill Downs during Derby Week, a series of events that culminates in the storied Kentucky Derby, which this year drew a crowd of 158,000.

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Penn College Welcomes New Employee

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

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Subterranean Senatorial History Surfaces in Automotive Lab

Retired from legislative duty in 1912, when a faster monorail system ferried Washington, D.C., VIPs through a 760-foot tunnel, the 1908 Studebaker averaged 225 trips a day at the height of its civil service.

Students (joined at right by Klinger, instructor of collision repair) equip the handsome cherry-bodied vehicle with batteries which, but for increased storage capacity, are largely unchanged from the turn of the 20th century.

Because the car moved backward and forward along its "subway" route, the driver would switch seats to face the direction of travel.

While students donned gloves to work on the vehicle, a similar protective covering was placed on the vehicle's original Firestone tires.

Van Stavoren, an assistant automotive professor, works with restoration students Alex M. Koser (left), of Mount Joy, and Nicholas C. Howland, of Woodbridge, Va.

An electric 1908 Studebaker, one of two original vehicles built to shuttle passengers underground from the Old Senate Building to the U.S. Capitol (including such literal heavyweights as President William Howard Taft) is being prepped by students for a prestigious weekend event. The vehicles were nicknamed “Peg” and “Tommy” during their heyday; the former is on display at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana, and the latter is on loan to Penn College from the William E. Swigart Jr. Automobile Museum in Huntingdon. Patricia B. Swigart, vehicle owner and one of the earliest supporters of the college’s automotive restoration technology major, has never seen “Tommy” operated under its own power – a situation that restoration students and faculty hope to remedy at the Elegance at Hershey this Friday through Sunday. Electrical students in Christopher H. Van Stavoren’s Introduction to Restoration Procedures course installed 10 batteries in the vehicle during a Tuesday class in the Parkes Automotive Technology Center. Faculty colleague Roy H. Klinger said the students’ involvement in researching and preserving the Studebaker will be documented by the Historic Vehicle Association, which recognizes the cultural significance of the automobile. Preston T. Rose, a May restoration graduate, researched a 1932 McGee Roadster that was recently displayed on the Washington Monument mall as part of the HVA’s national register of historic vehicles.

Faculty Member Named One of Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America

Niedermyer accepts applause as he's announced among the Top 10 honorees.

A Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member has received one of the highest honors bestowed on pastry chefs: a spot among Dessert Professional Magazine’s Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America.

Chef Charles R. Niedermyer, of State College, an instructor of baking and pastry arts and culinary arts, was named to the 2017 Top Ten list by Dessert Professional publisher Matthew Stevens and editor Tish Boyle, who selected honorees based on their talent, creativity, contributions to the industry and dedication to creating high-quality confections.

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Last updated June 6, 2017 | Posted in Alumni, Baking, Pastry & Culinary Arts, Business & Hospitality, Faculty & Staff, Students | This gallery contains 3 photos. | Tagged as | Leave a comment

Penn College Welcomes New Employees

PCToday continues its regular feature – welcoming new full-time and regular part-time Pennsylvania College of Technology employees, as reported by the Human Resources Office.

Read more

Stunning Tilework Masterfully Adds to ATHS’ Attractive Entranceway

Southern exposure: The artist stands over a striking addition to the ATHS.

Stabley's original sketch lies atop plastic containers of mosaic tile.

The mosaic’s angles mimic the atrium’s skylight.

Stabley works on taping prior to grouting the piece.

Thousands of artistic pieces, set to inspire

Penn College’s main campus is home to yet another magnificent mosaic, designed and crafted by David A. Stabley, instructor of ceramics and wood sculpture. On Friday, Stabley put the finishing touches on the piece, gracing the atrium of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center. The atrium’s walls recently received a fresh coat of green paint, and the mosaic’s green and brown hues complement the surroundings. The artwork took Stabley less than two weeks to install. He was assisted by Roza Breneisen. Stabley hopes to add mosaic enhancements to the atrium’s second-floor walkway “walls” that bookend the current piece. A number of other Stabley-created mosaic installations can be found around campus, including the Capitol Eatery, and on the walls of the Hager Lifelong Education Center and the Physician Assistant Center.

Faculty Member to Exhibit Chain-Mail Jewelry at June’s ‘First Friday’

Faculty member among First Friday artists

Joseph E. LeBlanc, an assistant professor of physics at Penn College, will be among the local artisans displaying their craft during First Friday (June 2) in downtown Williamsport. LeBlanc, who uses classic weave patterns in his creations, has been making chain mail since 2013. His work can be seen at Gustonian Gifts, 357 Pine St.

Cross-Campus Collaboration Infuses Hundreds of Visiting Pupils

Horticulture instructor Carl J. Bower Jr. guides Warrior Run fourth-graders in a sensory exploration of the ESC’s plant life.

Roy A. Fletcher, assistant professor of business administration/banking and finance, talks with Stock Market Challenge participants from area high schools about the future of artificial intelligence in accounting. The School of Business & Hospitality hosted the grand finale celebration for the Stock Market Challenge, an annual competition for Lycoming County high schools and middle schools that is sponsored by the Williamsport Sun-Gazette.

Faculty members (and Penn College grads) Michael K. Patterson, welding lecturer, center, and Benjamin K. Myers, welding instructor, right, judge a competition among students enrolled in Penn College NOW welding courses. While their teachers attended professional development with Penn College faculty liaisons – a requirement to ensure that Penn College courses taught at high schools meet the same rigor as those taught on campus – the students showed their skill in shielded metal arc welding. Following the contest, they took part in a hands-on demonstration by Fronius USA, which has entrusted several pieces of equipment to the college.

In the closing weeks of the spring semester, the College Transitions Office and academic schools hosted more than half a dozen events for pupils in area elementary, middle and high schools. From a field trip for Warrior Run fourth-graders that spanned the main campus and Schneebeli Earth Science Center, to days set aside for students to visit the college labs that correspond with their Penn College NOW courses, hundreds of students received hands-on lessons in “degrees that work,” thanks to help from college faculty. Events for Penn College NOW students included a Horticulture Day, engineering design visit, Accounting Day, Web Page Design Day and Welding Day.

Niedermyer Among Nation’s Top Pastry Chefs

Chef Charles R. Niedermyer

Chef Charles R. Niedermyer II, instructor of baking and pastry arts/culinary arts, has been named among the 2017 Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America by Dessert Professional Magazine. The magazine’s publisher, Matthew Stevens, and editor, Tish Boyle, selected the honorees based on their talent, creativity, contributions to the industry and dedication to creating high-quality confections. Niedermyer earned a degree in baking and pastry arts from the college in 2000, later followed by a degree in technology management. Before returning to teach at the college, he spent several years practicing his craft in the hotel, restaurant and bakery industries, including work for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. In recent years, he was named a finalist for Team USA, which competed at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (World Cup of Bread) in Paris, and received awards from Penn College for Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Academic Advising. Dessert Professional Magazine is the nation’s leading food service publication for the chocolate, pastry, cake, artisan bread and frozen desserts industries. Making its Top 10 list is a pinnacle achievement for pastry chefs. Niedermyer will be honored at a reception in New York City in June and featured in the August issue of Dessert Professional.